sometimesisquint

If proponents of Christianity and the Christian bible continuously claim that troublesome sections can only TRULY be understood with mindfulness of the proper cultural context for ancient biblical society, is it responsible or accurate to accept any biblical teaching as relevant in today's society?

It is my understanding that much of the bible was written principally for the immediate audience to which it was intended (that is for the OT or NT followers or the early church). So what are the criteria for determining which portions of scripture are universal and fully relevant truths?

Also, does such a reading of the bible (mindful of the ancient cultural context) take away from its supposedly universal qualities of application? (Such as, ‘the flood account was indeed true for the Hebrew population, limited to their understanding of the whole world even if it was isolated to their region’...or that ‘to an ancient Hebrew a bat would fall under the same class system as a bird simply because it had wings,’ both of which I’ve heard as explaining troublesome sections.)

All that said, if Christianity is meant to apply and be accessible to all people groups and social structures, regardless of time, then how can a layperson or uneducated individual (ultimately, like myself) truly begin to understand or interpret what god wants from them?

Does one have to have a PhD in multiple disciplines in order to truly understand what the Christian god would want to tell us in scripture? Faith of this sort seems “blind” at best.

----

I tried to search for similar questions on the forum but found most discussions veering off in different directions or with a different focus. All apologies if this subject (one of cultural context) has been discussed, therefore, ad nauseam before. Kindly point me in the right direction and I’ll let it be…like the Beatles.

Danke. :wave:

neilgodfrey

and don't forget to factor in those evangelists who insist a modern reader must understand the difference between greek and jewish thought, and keep in mind that the greek texts must be interpreted within a "jewish" framework.

sometimesisquint

I know it came across as a rant (probably because it was), but I'm genuinely interested in how one is supposed to read the bible.

I don't suppose that inspires much discussion/thought on a non-theist board where the default position would be: "It's not real/true anyway, so who cares?"

Maybe that's the right answer.

Cheers.

No Robots

When looking for a naturalistic approach to the Bible, there is no better place to start than Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise.

Toto

Yes, I was going to remind you that you are on an atheist board.

The criteria for determining which parts of the Bible contain universal truths can only be your own powers of reasoning and observation. And if you are going to rely on reason to decide what parts of the Bible are of historical interest only and what parts are universal, why stop there? Why not rely on your powers of reasoning to investigate and evaluate universal truths without reading the Bible?

Besides, you would have to learn two or three ancient languages and study the history of the time to be able to interpret the Bible, which is a lifetime of study. What if, at the end, you decide that the Bible is completely and only a product of its time, and contains no universal truths beyond a few truisms? You could have spent that time looking for a cure for cancer or solving the problem of global warming.

Chris Weimer

Not everyone is minded towards cures for cancer or global warming. If I were a research microbiologist, I'd end up shooting myself a whole lot sooner, not being able to stand the field. However, studying ancient languages, religions, and cultures is my life - I love every bit of it. Luckily, I'm able to start off with the above knowledge.

judge

Sure seems so.

The people who wrote it seemed also to think that their own pupils wouldn't need the bible either (or at the very least not instruction in it).

1 John 2:27

As for you, the annointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you.

Doug Shaver

Some biblical teachings could have current relevance, but the simple fact of their being biblical teachings is entirely irrelevant.

If you want to know what the men who wrote the Bible were thinking when they wrote it, then it is necessary to know something about their culture. How much you need to know about their culture depends on how throughly you want to understand them, and a complete understanding probably requires a knowledge of the language in which they wrote.

But it's the rare lay person who needs to be that familiar with the thinking of the biblical authors. There is no reason whatever to suppose that their opinions on any subject should be given special consideration. They knew nothing important that anyone nowadays cannot easily learn without ever opening a Bible.

stuart shepherd

If the Bible was meant to be relevant for us today, why didn't God make sure that the Bible was written so that people of our day could easily understand his message?
The Christian Apologists are always inventing excuses to explain away the problems with the Bible.

Stuart Shepherd

Joan of Bark

Funny, Chris, your profile says you have no interests.